The Roommate
by iKarexx
Summary: When the Belchers are asked to take in an exchange student, Louise didn't think twice of it, until that student brought past memories she had long left behind. Now in high school, Louise has to deal with living with a stupid boy while keeping her cool on day at a time.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I tiptoed quietly down the stairs, trying my hardest not to tumble down to my death. My heart was racing and my hands shaking as they tightly held a black sharpie. As I approached the second to last step, my stomach dropped to the floor. I had just stepped on the squeaky step, the super loud step that sounded like I had stepped on a dying cat. I craned my neck up to the top of the stairs, there was no one, but I couldn't be too sure. I hopped off the step and placed my hand on the doorknob, turned it and-

"Louise!"

I jumped and yelled at the top of my lungs. "Shit!"

"Language, young lady," Mom nagged from the top of the stairs. "What are you doing? You haven't had breakfast, I made Mammy's special pancakes."

The specialty was lack of flavor, which I had to drown in gallons of maple syrup and whipped cream. I didn't say that to Mom, well not after Dad paid Gene and I to keep our mouths shut. "Mom! I need to go, just give mine to Gene."

"He already left, said he had to meet a few friends."

Damn, he left before I did, the sneaky bastard. Well I guess there's no point in leaving so early now.

"Come on upstairs and eat something, I don't want you to look too skinny, people will think I can't afford to feed ya anymore."

I hurried up the stairs almost tripping on my old shoe laces. I called these old Chucks my lucky sneakers, mainly because they were easy to run in and I had made many quick getaways in them.

In the kitchen there was already a short stack of pancakes for me and a glass of milk. I grabbed the bottle of syrup and put a gross amount on the plate. Mom sat next to me not eating or anything, just sitting. She had been super clingy to Gene and I after Tina left to college two years ago, even though she came back home every so often since she was only in New York. Gene had his hopes set on Berklee College of Music. Ever since he found out that Berklee only has 27% acceptance rate he got his act together and so far has a perfect GPA. Yet that doesn't mean he doesn't still run with me.

"Lin!" I heard Dad calling from his room. "Lin!"

"What, Bob?!" Mom called back.

"Have you seen my white shirts? I can't find any of them."

Mom looked at me and smiled. "Louise is wearing one!"

"Louise!" Dad's voice was getting close until he was also in the kitchen. "Louise, why are you wearing my shirt, it doesn't even fit?" He was still in his pajamas.

Yeah the shirt was much too big and I had to tie the sucker on one side, but hey, it did the job. "Marker wars."

"What?" He asked.

"Marker wars." Silence. "Dad you can't tell me you've never heard of marker wars." Silence again. "Ugh! You guys are so old. Gene and I organized the first annual Huxley High marker wars, and today's the day. Everyone wears white shirts and carries markers with them, if someone stains your shirt you're out, last one standing wins five hundred bucks."

"Where did you get five hundred dollars from?" Dad asked.

"There's a hundred kids in the game, we each had to pay a five dollar entry fee, winner takes all."

"Wouldn't that be frowned upon in school?" As Dad questioned me the landline started ringing and Mom went over to pick it up.

"Dad, dad, dad, it's not frowned upon if they don't find out."

Mom came back to the table and handed Dad the phone. "Bobby, it's Mr. Frond."

"I didn't do anything!" I yelled out before Dad could take the phone. "Seriously, I haven't done anything, why is Mr. Frond calling our house?"

Dad took the phone and started talking to Mr. Frond. I thought I had seen the end of him back at Wagstaff, but he was offered a job as dean at Huxley, and transferred over three years ago. Needless to say, he was always on my case. He might have been calling about marker wars if one of the players turned out to be a narc, but Gene and I made sure to run careful background checks on everyone.

"You're welcome...Yes...I'll send Louise into your office for the information...Yes, Goodbye."

"WHAT?!" I screamed. My own dad gave me away. "No way, there is no way you gave me up!I didn't do anything!"

Dad put the phone back. "I know Louise, it's not about you."

"It's not?"

"What is it Bobby?" Mom was concerned now.

He sat down next to us. "Calm down everyone, it's fine. Mr. Frond wants us to take in an exchange student."

"An exchange student! Oh how fun, where's he from? France? England? Oooo Mexico? He can teach us to make little taquitos."

 _Oh boy._

"No Lin, he's not foreign, he's from California apparently," Dad replied.

Great, California boy, probably another stupid stoner kid. At least he'd be out of the way.

"California, so glamorous," Mom made a point by elongating her words.

"I don't think so Lin, apparently this kid is being send to Huxley because of some behavioral problems or something. Frond said something about him being some rich kid, I think his parents are sending him out here to get a taste of the real world."

I chuckled. "Ha! There's sending us some rich kid to get a load of the poor American family, typical rich people bull."

"Louise, let your father speak," mom barked at me.

"He's going to finish his senior year at Huxley and they want him to stay with a family. Mr. Frond thought we would be a good place for him to stay since he knows us well, and he thinks it would be a nice little thing or Gene to put on his college application."

Typical Frond trying to make this seem like it would benefit us, please, I know he just couldn't find anyone else to take the kid in. He probably tried Jimmy Pesto first since Ollie and Andy were sophomore class presidents. Having the kid here wouldn't be so bad I guess, he was Gene's age so he wouldn't be another annoying sophomore. Plus he was rich, and it was always easy to make a quick buck from a rich kid. Sure, I could live with this.

"This is so exciting, he can take Tina's old room," Mom was all sorts of hyper now. For her this must have felt like having a foster kid that went to juvie; she thought she could change the kid. I knew that probably wouldn't be the case, he would probably be just another snobby sheltered rich kid, and he would go back home at the end of the year exactly the same. There was no point in getting our hopes up over it. "What's his name Bobby? When will he come live with us?"

"He'll be coming in a few days, and that's why Louise has to go to Frond's office to get his file and paperwork," he said.

I guess I could go, it would mean I would be safe from the war for a minute while inside his office. "Fine, I'll go."

The halls were quiet at Huxley when I walked in, awfully quiet. Class hadn't started yet, but there were a hundred participants in the war, and everyone else was placing their bets on their favorites. So far the people to beat were Gene and I, and I was not about to lose to the sad middle child of the Belcher family.

Since i didn't see anyone in the halls after scanning it a few times, I knew I was being set up, Gene must have had some sort of alliance. Frond's office was only a few doors down, and if I made it in there that was my safe haven. I readied myself, trying to push all my energy to my legs. I decided to wear black leggings today, the ultimate pants for maximum comfort and agility. I started my sprint, as I ran farther down the hall, I could hear people coming out of the lockers, yelling my name. I didn't dare look back, I instead kept my eyes set on Frond's office. When I approached the door I opened it as fast as I could and shut it with all the force I had left.

My heart was racing, that should excuse me from gym class for the rest of the year. Frond was sitting in his chair, knitting what looked like a hat. He looked up at me and smiled that weird Frond smile. "Louise, so happy you could come in today."

"Did I really have choice?" I sassed back.

"Well no, but I'm happy you could be here." He walked over to filling cabinet next to him and pulled out manilla envelopes. I took a seat in front of his desk to catch my breath, and took one of the chocolates in a mason jar he kept for his students. "I'm so happy your family could do this for Brendan, he could really use the support."

 _Brendan_ , if that wasn't a rich white kid name, I don't know what is. He probably wears pastel polos and boat shoes to the grocery store, if he'd ever gone to one. "Of course, Mr. Frond."

"Since the school year has already started, hopefully you can help him make a few friends." He found the file and came back to his desk and sat down. "He's really a great kid. I think you'll be fond of him."

Please, I was barely fond of my own family. Frond handed me the envelope and gestured me to open it. I was expecting him to want me to hand it straight to Dad, but no, he let me open it and see for myself. He's was probably super excited to have this kid at our school. I opened it and looked at the first page in the small stack.

My eyes widened, My guts dropped to my knees and I was sure that if I wasn't sitting down I would have toppled over. How did this happen? How could any of this happen? I wanted to die, throw up, then die. But I also wanted to jumped, wanted to run all the way to New York and find Tina and scream, scream until my lungs burst. But I was in Mr. Frond's office, and for all he knew, I had no feelings.

I stood outside his office, still. I still held the page in my hands, reading it over and over looking to see if I'd missed something, if maybe I had read something wrong. This couldn't be happening, not to me. But it was right, no matter how hard I tried reading it, it was the same words and the same picture. I felt the felt tip of markers on my shoulders. Andy and Ollie marked my left side, Gene and his girls got my right. That didn't matter now.

"You are out Louise!" Gene shouted as the others cheered with him. I said nothing. They noticed right away. "What's wrong? Why aren't you attacking?"

"I need to go." I walked off holding the envelope and it's contents with me. I knew that if I ditched Algebra again I would get a truancy, so I went to class, but my mind wasn't there. My mind was still hung up on the words I had the misfortune of reading.

At the top of the page in bold letters it read:

Name: Brenden B. Spencer.

The name meant nothing, but the picture did. The picture was a fancy headshot of a boy I knew far too well. He wore a navy blazer in the picture and white shirt underneath, I wanted to throw up. His blue eyes looked like they were following me, asking me to jump in those crystal pools. I slapped my own face in the middle of math. His blond hair swooped to one side like an ocean wave that I wished I could drown in. I pulled my pink bunny ears over my eyes and groaned. "Make it stop!"

"Louise Belcher!" Mrs. Bennett called. "Keep it down or you can march straight to the main office."

I didn't take the ears off my eyes, I couldn't look at him, not again. His beautiful picture only brought memories of a dark time.

I felt a body lean toward me, no one sat near me in the back, so I pulled the ears up and checked to see who it was. It was none other than Millie, the most obnoxious girl in the entire school. You would think she would be over trying to be friends with me, but still tried and tried. She was the junior varsity cheer captain, which meant she had plenty of girls willing to be her friend, but she always came back to me.

"What's that Louise?" She asked, already taking the papers from my desk.

I snached them back. "Nothing, Millie, leave me alone."

"Who's this boy? He's so cute."

 _Cute?! Cute?_ If that wasn't the biggest understatement of the century. "Cute? He's the human equivalent of a Greek God, you idiot!"

Millie eyed the paper again. "Wait, isn't he-"

"Yes." He is.

"Why do you keep his picture with you?"

I didn't answer her. I was done talking to her. I was done with the day in my mind. In my rage taking the paper back, I had managed to wrinkle his picture, I straightened it on my desk. He was still amazing, and stupid. I laughed a little. I never knew his real name was Brendan. I had come to know him only as a dream boy incapable of crossing paths with me again. Yet here he was, the one and only Boo Boo, or the stupid kid that forced me to feel. Tina was never going to believe this.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Needless to say, Tina has been calling every three hours of the day asking if Boo

Boo had arrived yet. We'd told her he wasn't getting here until Saturday morning, but she continued to call everyday. She nearly passed out on our video chat when Mom told her he would be staying in her old room, which I couldn't believe. I had come to understand that Tina was over Boyz 4 Now since they broke up six years ago, but apparently she still has a spot in her heart for them. Ew. Boo Boo was the reason they had broken up, you would think she would hold that against him, I guess she was just so happy to have someone famous living in our house for ten months. Ten months, that was such a long time.

A part of me was actually nervous about Boo Boo staying with us. He would be in my house, he'd be eating our food and touching my stuff. I made sure to get a new lock for my door. He was accustomed to a certain lifestyle, his third album went platinum for crying out loud! How would he react living with the Belchers? I'll be the first to admit my family is weird and annoying, but now there would actually be a non-Belcher living with us. It's not that I cared what, "Brendan B Smith" thought about my family, I couldn't care less about him, I just know that Mom cares what people think, and she must have been telling all her friends that a celebrity was staying in our house. Even if he was a washed up one at this point.

Boo Boo hadn't released any music in three years, some people said it was because he was taking the time to focus on school, but that was a load of bull. Boo Boo didn't have any sort of social media accounts, that was something we shared in common, and he was rarely seen in pictures. At one point, I even thought he might have died, but clearly he wasn't. I stopped really thinking about him once he was out of the spotlight, happy not to see his hideous beautiful face. It was different now though, I was completely over the old chump.

I heard the door open downstairs and I knew that meant Dad was back from the airport with him. I jumped out of my bed and took a quick look in the mirror before I went out. I looked like a hot mess and securely placed my bunny ears over my bed head. I opened my door and could see three large suitcases in the living room and a couple of boxes, I didn't even know you could carry all that on a plane. How did the kid lug that here anyway?

"Louise!" I jumped at the sound of Mom's voice coming from the stairs. "Come say hello to Brendan, he's very excited to meet everyone."

I walked over to the top of the stairs where Mom stood. Making his way up the third to last step was Brendan himself. Puberty did him good, I will admit that. He looked similar to his headshot I saw, only now his blond waves were hidden in a burgundy beanie. He wore black track pants, a white scoop neck shirt, and to top it all off, a black leather jacket over it. I've found that I have a pretty good sense of self control, this was one of the situations where I was sure. It took me a lot of effort not to laugh at his ridiculous outfit, what did he think this was New York fashion week? Sure he looked great in it, but this was the Belcher residence, who was he trying to impress?

"Hi there," he said with a slight smirk. His voice was much deeper than when I last saw him and his smile infectious, but I didn't let him see that. He took my hand and had the audacity to kiss it. I saw Mom smiling from the corner of my eye, and I quickly took my hand back.

"Don't ever do that again," I warned him. "I'm Louise, not the Queen of England."

He chuckled. "Hello, Louise, you're funny." He was standing awfully close for my taste. Mom didn't say anything, so it must have just been in my head. "My name is Brendan, but you can call me Boo Boo."

"I know who you are, Pretty Boy," I said taking a step away from him. "I don't live under a rock."

I didn't dare tell him I'd met him before, multiple times for that matter, both of those encounters involving my hand and his face. I won't lie and say I didn't want to slap him then, his face looked soft and slappable. I resisted that urge though, I had to save that for a special occasion.

"Louise," Dad called from the stairs. "Could you help Boo Boo to Tina's room? Wake up Gene if you need help."

I did as he said and hauled his suitcases into my sister's room. We took down all her belongings and put them in the basement, so now it was completely empty. "Alright Boo Boo, this is your room. Glad I could help. Breakfast is at ten. See you never. Don't forget to write." I tried to escape the room when I heard him say-

"Wait," he paused. "I'm sorry, I can't stay here."

I frowned. "Why not?"

"There's a window in here."

"So?" I demanded.

"So I can't be woken up by the sun, it's not good for my eyesight. I really need a room with no windows."

I took a breath. "Newsflash, we don't have any rooms with no windows, all rooms have windows!"

"LOUISE!" I heard Mom yell.

I took a big breath and exhaled. I had promised Mom I would make Boo Boo feel comfortable here, and I actually didn't want to let her down, mostly because she promised me a GoPro for my birthday. I looked over at her, she was in the doorway now watching us.

"Well, Honey if you really can't stay in this room, how about Louise's room, it's a lot smaller than this, but it doesn't have any windows."

My eyes widened in horror. I was not going down without a fight. "No. No. No. No1" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Don't you dare take away my room or so help me God I will jump out that window!" I pointed at Tina's window.

"Louise, stop it!" Mom fought back.

"Never!"

"BOB!" Mom shouted.

Dad ran in panting from the ten feet jog. "What's going on?"

"Look at your daughter. I told her we should let Boo Boo stay in her room instead and she went bananas on me." I glared at her intensely. "But we _will_ give Boo Boo the room and that's final."

"Then you leave me no choice," I said calmly. In a blink of an eye, however, I was stringing into action. I ran to the window and quickly opened it wide enough for me to get in. I had one leg out when Mom ran up and started grabbing my arm, pulling me back. I tried fighting her as much as I could but before I knew it Dad was taking hold of the other arm and the two of them pulled me onto Tina's bed.

"That is enough, Missy!" Mom said. "You are going to stay in this room and you are going to like it. Now you march into your old room and move your things in here. Boo Boo is our guest and we will treat him with the utmost respect, or it's not fancy camera for you."

"But Mom-" I protested.

"-No buts!" She cut in. She pointed out the door. "March!"

As I walked out the room, I almost forgot about Boo Boo who was watching the whole encounter with wide eyes. He looked at me as I walked out and I stared back at his big beautiful gross eyes. He might have won this round but I was smarter than him, and I would get my revenge.

As I was gathering my clothes to move into Tina's room Gene was aiming spitballs at the back of my head. I was in no mood to join him so I just continued packing. It didn't take too long considering I lived in a closet, but it was still home. Tina's room was so much bigger than mine and it would just make me feel small. I hated Mom for making me move, but I couldn't do anything if I wanted that camera.

"Hey."

Boo Boo was standing by the door with some of his things behind him. He wouldn't look me in the eyes, but I could tell he wanted to. "What?" I asked.

"I'm sorry about kicking you out of your room," he apologized, sincerely for what I could tell, but I wasn't taking it.

"Whatever," I mumbled.

I stood up with my last box of things but he was blocking the door. I looked over his shoulder, but Gene had already left his spot on the couch. I tried to move away from him but he blocked me every chance he got.

"Get out of my way," I demanded.

"Look I moved across the country with strangers, the least you could do is give me a chance."

I rolled my eyes. This kid thought he was going to be adored by everyone in this stupid New Jersey town just because he was famous. Yeah right. Not me. I may have fallen for his charm and mediocre looks when I was nine, but that would not happen again.

"You already blew your chance, Kid."

I pushed him out of the way and left my room. I left a few things behind such as a jar of Gene's farts which I hoped he would open, and a dead fish under the mattress. Brendan would be begging his parents to take him back in 36 hours tops, and I would be his grand escort out.


	3. Chapter 3

Boo Boo took forever in the bathroom that I almost wanted to go next door to Mort's and ask to borrow whatever he used to clean the dead bodies. Gene went to school smelling like a zoo half of the time so he didn't care that Boo Boo had been in the shower for half an hour now. I on the other hand, needed a hot shower before going to school and so far it was not going to happen. Mom kept nagging me to get ready for class since I was still in my pajamas, but I kept telling her Brendan was using up the world's water supply in there. Today was his first day at Huxley and I was not looking forward to it.

I didn't give a flying shit that he was there, it was whatever, I cared about all the stupid girls that would be following him around. It's not that I cared about him or anything, but I did care about those stupid girls crying over a stupid ugly dumb boy like him. I hated him.

Shortly after, the door opened releasing a wave of hot steam. When the steam cleared up Boo Boo came out drying his hair with a towel. He wasn't wearing a shirt but he had tight black jean on. I tried not to look at his naked upper body, but it was hard when he had a terrible tribal tattoo along his ribcage. I heard about that tattoo on _E!_ But I didn't believe he'd actually do something as ridiculous as that.

"It's all yours," Boo Boo said with a smile.

God. Why did he always have to smile? He didn't have to freaking smile all the time. I didn't say anything after that and just locked myself in the bathroom and got in the shower. Finding little blond hairs everywhere was worse than waiting for him to come out. I would have been more mad, but this was a sign he was balding.

Before I could start undressing there was a knock at the door. I was annoyed but opened the door. "What?" I demanded.

"Where's Lin?" Boo Boo asked.

I couldn't believe Mom let him call her that, especially when Dad hated it. "Probably down in the restaurant. Why?"

"There's nothing ready for breakfast."

Hm. Gene must have gotten to the food first. He had this new thing where he had to give King Trashmouth Jr breakfast too, even though the raccoon ate from the dumpster. I was surprised he wasn't dead yet after all the wine Mom gave him, but he was still kicking.

"Make something," I told him. I tried closing the door again but he stopped it before it closed.

"I don't know how to cook," he admitted.

"Here's a recipe for you: one bowl, plus cereal, plus milk."

I shut the door hard and locked it behind me. He was so annoying. It's his beauty made up for his uselessness. I started the shower again with cold water, it makes me stronger. After a couple of years of doing this I stopped jumping from the cold. The icy water felt refreshing against my skin. As I was pouring a bit of shampoo into my hand when I started humming along to a song, and then slowly beginning to sing.

 _Will you be my coal mine?_

 _Will you be my diamond…_

Wait. I wasn't the only one singing to this song. I kept quiet and opened the shower curtain a little and could hear Boo Boo singing that stupid song. He was wailing away like the wonderful idiot he was.

When I stepped out of the bathroom I found Boo Boo eating a bowl of cereal in the kitchen. I walked over and saw he also have a second bowl next to him.

"Have a seat Louise," he said while pulling out a chair for me.

If I wasn't hungry I would have never sat down with him, but I was hungry and I wasn't going to buy breakfast from the school cafeteria, not after what I found in my toast last week. I looked over form my bowl of now soggy cereal and noticed Boo Boo kept looking at me.

"What?" I demanded.

"Nothing, what's wrong?"

"Why I you looking at me?" I fought back.

He smiled and looked down at his cereal. "Sorry, I'm just nervous."

"Of what?"

"New school."

Stupid idiot, there was no one at Huxley worth being nervous about, especially when he was a celebrity. "You'll be fine, just stay away from the girls soccer team, they're know for eating the hearts of men."

"You're funny."

 _I can rip your throat out with my bare teeth_. Ew, I couldn't be thinking of my mouth anywhere near his throat. "If you want me to show you the way you better hurry up because I'm leaving."


End file.
